Online Listing Flurry

Still catching up from being away a week.  But we have gotten lots done.

Both cruiser motorcycles were not running, we fixed that.  I had mine listed, but got no bites, so I am doing a few updates to make it more custom and fit me better.  I will keep it for now, see if riding it with few tweaks feels right to me.

I cleaned windows and cleaned out the small sedan we are selling to nephew.  DH making a few updates to his new sedan.  We are staying at 3 cars for now.  I feel more comfortable with 3.  4 too many to care for.  I still overall wish for downsizing, but I have to compromise, as DH not there yet.

I have listed 28 mini formal purses and 7 regular purses for my sister in law on Poshmark.  She is working to get her retail store opened.  Second hand finds.  Not antique, definitely not flea market.  More of a unique second hand store, she has carefully curated over the years.  Some stuff antique that she used to display as a museam in the small town library.  New city counsel did not agree with her vision, even though our little town saw many people come just to see the "museum" she arranged.  The library really too big for our town, she had entire 2nd flour totally done up in a wonderful living museum of anything from 40's to 70's kitchen, office, living room...luggage and personal effects.  Even planes, trains and automobiles.  Animal taxidermy donations.  Quite a bunch to see and enjoy.  Now I understand that she has retired, it is essentially empty.  Why?!  Small towns need to attract people to keep vibrant and alive, infuse commerce into the small business owner just trying to survive.

Today, I listed her purses...they do better with wider electronic/Facebook marketplace audience.  As do clothes, shoes...maybe costume jewelry.  But I think she will bring in some traffic.  I hope for her sake.  She and BIL trying to navigate adjustment of retirement/semi retirement...so are DH and I...more on that later.

Oh well, off to do a 6 mile walk with hiking people.  Then visit my friend briefly.  I need to discuss some concerns I have about a family member (cousin N) sure how to talk about yet.

Have a great Sunday!  Beautiful and sunny here!  But cool.

Love Vacation, but Really Love Home

I took this picture of a beautiful park in Charleston, SC.  It is called White Point's Garden.  It is in the bay of Charleston full of beautiful huge live oaks and flowering azaleas, surrounded by huge stately mansions that look out over the park and out over the bay beyond.  The park has some very old statues.  One of William Moultrie.

William Moultrie (/ ˈ m uː l t r iː / ; November 23, 1730 – September 27, 1805) was a South Carolina planter and politician who became a general in the American Revolutionary War. As colonel leading a state militia, in 1776 he prevented the British from taking Charleston, and Fort Moultrie was named in his honor.

   -Wikipedia

This was our morning yesterday, walking around this beautiful area.  We had driven there from Savannah.  We considered staying a night or two in Charleston.  I wish we had.  But we were missing our dogs pretty bad and drove on home after a quick (too quick) dash around Charleston, stopping at this park and one other little park.

We came to Charleston after we drove from Savannah, GA.  On Thurs last week, we took the dogs to dog boarding and drove from Arkansas down through Texarkana over through Shreveport and over to Alexandria, LA and stopped for the night.  The next day we drove through Baton Rouge and stopped at couple stores, bought a shirt.  Then we drove on to Florida and down into Tampa were we have friends.  We stayed there a couple of nights and while there, we went in their boat through the Alafia river and Tampa Bay.  We went to an island in Tampa Bay, Fantasy Island.  We collected shells and walked the path through and around the island.  Then the Alafia.  We were enjoying just idling and visiting.  Having lovely weather and soaking up the sun, looking at all the neat houses.  Then we approached a couple other boats stopped and a couple of kayakers.  They pointed out Manatee!  We counted 15 or more.  They were just skimming along the edge, eating vegetation and easing up for air and just floating gracefully.  It was amazing.  We also saw an alligator sunning on a log.  It was about 5 or 6 feet long.  The first time, i am pretty sure for seeing an alligator and i know the first time seeing manatee.

We had a nice seafood dinner and had breakfast out Sunday before we took a little hike and then loaded the car to head on up the coast.  We drove through Orlando and Daytona and on up through Jacksonville to where we stayed in Savannah.  It was a great vacation.

The only thing I would change, is staying a couple days in Charleston and not driving all the way 1200 miles from Charleston to home in a single setting, but my husband gets the need to be home and just hightails it.  He used to do it when we toured on motorcycles too.  I guess it is just something i need to deal with.

I drove from Charleston all the way up, just south of Columbia SC, through Augusted, GA then all the way through Atlanta and to Birmingham.  We were doing to stay for the night there, but DH says "Oh, why don't i just drive us to Tupelo"?  So, then we get there and he says, "OK, Memphis".  Before we got to Memphis, i was like "We are going all the way in one drive, aren't we"?  We pulled into our drive 4am.

Our bed felt great!  We slept till 10 am and the picked up the dogs.  He spent the day washing the car we drove and i did laundry, unpacked and cleaned windows.  Hey, spring cleaning!

Hope you have a great rest of your Wednesday.  See you Thursday.  We are going to dig up some ivy at my inlaws and take them some grapefruit we picked from my friends' yard.

Quick Visit

My friend was here such a short visit,  we barely got to do anything.   She will come back.

We did some shopping and both bought some hiking pants.  I found a good jacket and socks.  I cooked a healthy dinner Saturday and we visited and had coffee talk Sunday before she drove home.

I go up to city couple weeks.  We are going to do yoga and have coffee.

I used my new jacket and pants on a hike yesterday.   They performed great,  as did my 52 year old body.

Hiked with a nice group, we saw 4 waterfalls on 2 hikes.  Total of 7 miles.  Some of the terrain was challenging.

I soaked in epson salts last night.   Slept well once I finally came down off my natural high on life.  I dreamed of hikes to come,  God willing.

Happy first day of spring!

Company Coming

Today is Saturday.  I have my girlfriend, T coming.  She is from the city where we used to meet.  We met over a mutual love of coffee, about 15 years ago.  Her DH also rode motorcycles, and the 4 of us went on a few rides together.  Then in 2009 I got my license and my own bike.  T got her license and her bike a few years ago.  I have not told T I have my bike listed for sale.

She was going to come down the weekend of my birthday, last weekend, but she had to make up for some time away from work.  She had the flue bad enough, she had to go the er.

I look forward to talking to her about that and about yoga.  We started yoga together about 7 years ago.  I also look forward to talking about doing a yoga retreat next year.  And going back to the city first week of April and going to our old yoga studio together.  I am glad I am skipping yoga today, my shoulder continues to be really persistent in giving me pain and numbness.  I have been the to chiro twice, and will go couple more times before our road trip next week.

Another thing I look forward to is talking to her about what I am struggling with a little bit.  I will talk about it here in the future.  I have not talked to another person, except my sister.  This is sort of related to me having my bike listed for sale.  I want to continue to condense our "stuff", liquidate and focus on having some fun experiences.  Sometimes I feel like DH is with me, sometimes I feel like he wants other things.

He did dig deep and agree to list some extra things, like some expensive watches, a couple sets of gold clubs and an expensive coat.  But he continues to shop and it makes me feel very uncomfortable.  If he is just shopping to curate and condense, I am ok.  If he is not being honest about just condensing what we have and curating, but continues to aimlessly shop we will have a big problem.  Even doing that, frustrates me because he shows no such enthusiasm for doing things, improving his health or home related stuff.  I shop too, but I have the same enthusiasm for home projects, working in the yard, setting up our garden, hiking, crocheting, yoga, etc.

We both spend too much time on our phones!  Lol.  Well, I do have to remember that things don't change overnight.  This is a big adjustment and I am trying to be patient for one year.

What are you all struggling with?  Anything you can related to?

Rainy Spring Day

I was going to do some more working in the yard today.  But it is rainy.  Yesterday was warm and sunny, beautiful!  Moved 3 rather large azaleas with DH help.  Despite his bad back.  HOpe they survive.  Not planning to work outside, but the weather dictated I get outside!  Also was frustrated about a couple of minor things with my DH.  Felt good to take it out with a shovel and digging some holes!

Did my first organized hike/walk with a hiking group I joined.  I am SO GLAD I DID!  Loved the women, there were 4 of us.  Loved the potential.  They walk a lot and go out to eat, day trips to the city to go to Trader Joe's and Costco, even travel.  We hiked a 6 miles on the pavement.  Not hard for them, but was a challenge for me.  Much of it was up pretty steep incline.  I had over 18k steps that day!  Sunday.

My birthday was Saturday.  I did hot yoga in am, then took a nap.  Put my favorite top on and waited for the possibilities.  My good friend was supposed to drive down, but she told me Thursday had to postpone one week.  My other good friend, local.  Was out of town.  Did DH or in laws have plans to take me out for my birthday...evidently not!  To be fair, I do carry a pretty busy schedule and did not indicate to DH that I wanted to go out for dinner.  So, I improvised and opened a can of soup.  Viola.

But seriously I have had some minor annoyances that have interfered with my serenity that I will blog about soon.  I also plan to blog at my 6 month of retirement milestone.  Just perfect timing with some of my thoughts of doubt lately...stay tunes.  Nothing serious.

I continue to worry about some family members and good friends with serious problems.  Mine - not so much.  One of the ones I continue to worry about is my DH.  He has persisten anemia that is worrying me.  I will just keep putting it in God's hands.

What about you all?  Anything you want to talk about?  My neck and back and moved into my shoulder and now my lower back.  Geez.  I am going to check out our small town chiro tomorrow.

See you all later!

Birthday Weekend!

I wonder if now that I am not a captive audience at a computer for 8 to 10 hours a day, if I will just eventually ease off blogging.  But I still have stuff to say and I really want to blog for a year while retired, to see my evWeolution.

I think I just need to set a certain time a day to blog and stick to it.  I have not been terribly busy, but I have been up to the city with my husband and my sister.  We went back to where DH and I moved from, for my DGM 100 birthday!  She had a nice birthday.  We did a card shower for her, she cannot see and cannot hear, so being around many people is stressful for her.  So, we just did the card shower, we shared with people closed to us and family for her and so far she had gotten 75 be the time we left her on her birthday to come home.

The home where she lives is independent living.  She comes downstairs for her meals.  Her daughter and my cousin, my DGM, my sister, DH and I.  we shared lunch with her.  They sang HBD to her and brought her the annual banana split (evidently this is preferred for elderly over cake).  I can understand that.  I prefer pie over cake, cake can be so very dry and blah.  But my sister did bring her some yummy cupcakes from a place I recommended.

When the recreation therapist and the guy in charge came over to say hello, he had a microphone and asked if DGM wanted to say anything about how she made it so long.  Well my Granny gets that microphone and says..."Well if you don't want to live to 100 you better start drinking and smoking...I never did that".  It was pretty funny.

DH and I playing golf today.  It is gray and spotty rain, but should not amount to much.  Tomorrow is my birthday and I am doing yoga and then I think I am either going to steak place or to the casino for dinner.  I might even play $40 worth of slots.  You know, live dangerously.